Below ZERO 2011 

Below ZERO seeks a wide range of documentary projects on all subjects related to life above the Arctic Circle. These can be projects focusing on culture, environment, resources, politics, climate changes and indigenous peoples as well as general human stories.

Filmmakers from all over the World are welcome to submit projects for Below ZERO. Stories with a broad international market appeal are preferred. From the submitted project proposals a maximum of 12 projects will be selected for participation. The working language will be English.

What do previous participants say about Below ZERO?

'Below Zero proved for me as a Director of the film Arctic Dreams invaluable in creating and understanding the needed financial structure of my film, in understanding how a co-production of a film shot in Canada, by a Swedish person working out of a UK based production company should look. As a forum for discussion and in helping you as a film maker to focus your project by conversations with tutors, other film makers and commissioners it helped me enormously in understanding the story I was telling and gave the project a great backing for getting the funding I was looking for as well as a very good introduction to several of the European commissioners.'

Marcus Werner Hed, director, Pundersons Gardens, UK
Below ZERO participant 2010 with the project ARCTIC DREAMS

 
The Below ZERO programme

The programme for Below ZERO will consist of:

- a pre-pitching workshop where the selected projects will be developed under guidance from experienced international experts from the documentary business. The workshop will focus on how the projects can be developed in the best possible direction and how the presentation of the project can be optimized

- a pitching session where each project will be pitched in seven minutes for a panel of international financiers and possible future collaborators. The pitch will be followed by a brief round of feedback from the panel and individual meetings between filmmakers and financiers

- networking events to encourage future collaborations between organisations, financiers, producers and filmmakers.

 
Financiers for the pitching panel

The financiers present for the pitching panel will be a combination of leading European broadcasters, national film institutes and regional film funds. Soon we will add names of the financiers, who have confirmed their participation for Below ZERO.
How to Participate

The deadline for submitting your project is November 29, 2010. A submission consist of a written 2-page presentation and visual material.

You submit your project by sending a 2-page presentation including the following elements:

-  title, name of producer, production company and director, length, format & production plan/time of delivery
 -  short synopsis
-   treatment with visual approach & reflections on the narrative
 -   the total budget amount
 -   a brief financing plan
 -   short CV & filmography of company and director
  -   contact details on producer/production company and/or director

You submit your 2-page presentation by sending it by email to submit@edn.dk.

The visual material

We prefer receiving applications accompanied by visual material; either as material already shot for the submitted project or as a previous work. You submit your visual material either as a DVD or by including a link to an online streaming facility. Please note that submitted DVDs will not be returned.

If you are sending your visual material via and online video service, please a link to your material, when submitting your 2-page presentation via the email submit@edn.dk.

If you are sending a DVD please ship it to:

EDN
Att: Hanne Skjødt
Vognmagergade 10, 1st floor
1120 Copenhagen K
Denmark

Participating as Observer
For Below ZERO a number of observer seats are available. When participating as an observer you will take part in all sessions on equal terms with the pitching participants. Only exception is not having a concrete project developed and pitched. Observers pay 200 Euro for participating. To apply for an observer seat please submit a one-page CV and your motivation for participating to Hanne Skjødt via hanne@edn.dk.

Participation Fee
Each selected project pays a participation fee of 300 Euro, which includes one participating person. Additional members of the pitching team pays an individual fee of 200 Euro.
Background on Below ZERO

The Below ZERO event was initiated in 2009 in order to bring together filmmakers, producers, financiers and organisations whose common interest is documentaries thematically rooted in the Northern Polar region. Building on the success of the first two editions of Below ZERO, this third edition will further strengthen and develop the international network for documentaries made around or focusing on the Arctic region. Below ZERO is set in Tromsø, Northern Norway, during the last days of the polar night.

EDN Contact:
Hanne Skjødt
hanne@edn.dk
Phone: +45 3313 1122
 
Below ZERO is organised by EDN. The event takes place in the framework of Tromso International Film Festival. Below ZERO is made possible by the support from Nordnorsk Filmsenter AS.

http://www.edn.dk/activities/edn-activity-texts/below-zero-2011/